Chapter 11:
The Monster and the Visionary
The Crimson Eyes of the Zenin
"Wow! Look at that!"
"Which conglomerate's young master is out for a stroll?"
"He's so cute! If I were ten years younger, I'd ask to be his sugar mommy~"
Passersby on the bustling Shinjuku street stopped and stared. The bright red convertible supercar was impossible to miss.
Attractive young women pulled out their phones, snapping photos and searching for the identity of the boy in the passenger seat.
However, the crowd instinctively kept their distance from the convoy of black escort vehicles. They knew that even a small scratch on that paint job would bankrupt them for three lifetimes.
...
In the passenger seat, Mirai looked at the two people on the sidewalk with great interest.
Geto Suguru in his youth. And Ieiri Shoko.
Unlike the paper figures in the manga he had read in his past life, they felt real. The exhaustion on Geto’s face. The smell of smoke clinging to Shoko. It was all vivid.
Shoko and Geto frowned, staring back at the boy.
"We've arrived," Mirai said calmly. "Proceed as planned."
The driver nodded and tapped his earpiece.
The door of the car behind them opened. A woman stepped out—Maki and Mai's mother.
A Zenin sorcerer dressed in a black suit bowed to her.
"Take the girls shopping," Mirai instructed, his voice carrying over the street noise. "Buy whatever they like. The Zenin Clan isn't short of money."
He looked at the bodyguard. "Protect them."
"You know the consequences if even a hair on their heads is harmed."
The bodyguard trembled visibly. "Yes, Clan Head! I will risk my life!"
Maki and Mai got out of the car. They were sensible children; they didn't ask questions. They took their mother's hands and quickly moved into one of the black sedans.
"Suguru," Shoko whispered, shielding her mouth. "Aren't you going to run?"
"You're a wanted criminal now. The Zenin Clan might be here to arrest you."
Geto smiled faintly. "Let's wait and see."
Geto wasn't afraid. Apart from Gojo Satoru, he feared no one. Not even the Zenin Clan. He was a Special Grade Sorcerer. He had thousands of curses at his command.
If they want a fight, Geto thought, I'll give them one.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Under the astonished gazes of Shoko and Geto, the convoy of black escort vehicles... drove away.
They left the red supercar behind.
Only the boy and his non-sorcerer driver remained.
"What?" Geto blinked. "They left him alone?"
Mirai turned his head. He looked directly at Geto and smiled.
"Wait a little longer," Mirai said. "I hate it when mosquitoes buzz around me while I'm trying to talk."
"Mosquitoes?" Shoko frowned.
Geto’s eyes narrowed. He looked up at the rooftops.
...
On a nearby rooftop.
A masked Curse User stared down at the red car.
"One Billion Yen," he whispered, licking his lips.
He had planned to follow the convoy and look for an opening. But the main force had just left! The target was sitting there, exposed, with no guards!
It looked like a trap.
But for One Billion Yen? It was worth the gamble.
Whoosh!
The masked man leaped from the roof.
"Die!"
Several throwing knives, imbued with Cursed Energy, shot toward the car like bullets. They aimed straight for Mirai’s head and heart.
This attack was the signal.
From the alleys, the sewers, the crowds—dozens of Curse Users rushed out.
"The head is mine!"
"Get out of the way!"
Fireballs. Air cannons. Cursed bullets. A barrage of lethal techniques converged on the red convertible.
Geto kept his hands in his pockets. He watched with interest. How will the boy handle this?
Mirai didn't even lift a finger.
BANG!
The air around the car suddenly distorted.
Space warped.
From the void beside Mirai, a giant, withered wooden tail erupted!
It moved faster than sound.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The tail swept through the air like a whip. It shattered the knives. It crushed the fireballs.
And then, it pierced the attackers.
"Gah-!!"
The screams were cut short.
Ten Curse Users were impaled instantly on the wooden spikes of the tail. They looked like insects caught on a thorn bush.
Then, the tail retracted into the void, dragging the bodies with it.
Crunch. Crunch.
The sound of chewing echoed briefly, then vanished.
The street was silent.
The pedestrians looked up, confused. They had seen a blur, heard a noise... but now there was nothing. No bodies. No blood. Just the blue sky.
"Illusion?" someone muttered, shaking their head and walking on.
But Shoko and Geto stood frozen.
Shoko’s cigarette fell from her mouth.
She had seen it. The massive wooden tail. The overwhelming, ancient evil radiating from the boy’s shadow.
That Cursed Energy... Shoko thought, her hands trembling as she reached for her phone. It's endless. It feels like an ocean of malice.
We need Satoru. This thing might actually kill Suguru.
Geto stared at Mirai. His contempt was gone. Replaced by shock.
That wasn't a shikigami, Geto realized. That was something else entirely. And the boy controlled it effortlessly.
Mirai leaned back in his seat. The driver adjusted the recline for him.
"Don't worry," Mirai said, smiling at Geto through the window. "I have no intention of harming you."
"I'm very interested in what you said to Shoko earlier."
Geto stiffened. "You heard that?"
"About creating a world of only sorcerers," Mirai continued. "About cleaning up the mess of the monkeys."
"Those idiots at the College can't understand you. But I do."
Mirai looked Geto in the eye.
"You should try cooperating with the Zenin Clan."
Geto was surprised. "You... agree with me?"
"Why not?" Mirai shrugged. "Power should rule. Weakness should serve. It's the natural order."
Geto laughed softly. "Interesting."
"But," Geto said, his eyes sharpening. "If we want to realize that vision... what about the obstacle?"
"What about Gojo Satoru?"
"Even if you are strong... do you really think you can defeat him?"
Mirai nodded. "Not yet. I am still lacking in some areas. I need time to develop."
"That is why I need allies. Allies who understand the truth."
Mirai extended a hand toward Geto.
"If you are tired of running... if you are tired of eating rags to save monkeys..."
"Come to the Zenin Estate."
Geto looked at the boy. He looked at the empty space where the "mosquitoes" had been eaten.
After a long silence, Geto smiled. It was a genuine smile.
"Okay," Geto said. "If I find myself in need... I'll knock on your door."
Beside them, Shoko held her phone to her ear, listening to the dial tone.
Neither Mirai nor Geto paid her any attention. They had already begun to shape a new future.
"Which conglomerate's young master is out for a stroll?"
"He's so cute! If I were ten years younger, I'd ask to be his sugar mommy~"
Passersby on the bustling Shinjuku street stopped and stared. The bright red convertible supercar was impossible to miss.
Attractive young women pulled out their phones, snapping photos and searching for the identity of the boy in the passenger seat.
However, the crowd instinctively kept their distance from the convoy of black escort vehicles. They knew that even a small scratch on that paint job would bankrupt them for three lifetimes.
...
In the passenger seat, Mirai looked at the two people on the sidewalk with great interest.
Geto Suguru in his youth. And Ieiri Shoko.
Unlike the paper figures in the manga he had read in his past life, they felt real. The exhaustion on Geto’s face. The smell of smoke clinging to Shoko. It was all vivid.
Shoko and Geto frowned, staring back at the boy.
"We've arrived," Mirai said calmly. "Proceed as planned."
The driver nodded and tapped his earpiece.
The door of the car behind them opened. A woman stepped out—Maki and Mai's mother.
A Zenin sorcerer dressed in a black suit bowed to her.
"Take the girls shopping," Mirai instructed, his voice carrying over the street noise. "Buy whatever they like. The Zenin Clan isn't short of money."
He looked at the bodyguard. "Protect them."
"You know the consequences if even a hair on their heads is harmed."
The bodyguard trembled visibly. "Yes, Clan Head! I will risk my life!"
Maki and Mai got out of the car. They were sensible children; they didn't ask questions. They took their mother's hands and quickly moved into one of the black sedans.
"Suguru," Shoko whispered, shielding her mouth. "Aren't you going to run?"
"You're a wanted criminal now. The Zenin Clan might be here to arrest you."
Geto smiled faintly. "Let's wait and see."
Geto wasn't afraid. Apart from Gojo Satoru, he feared no one. Not even the Zenin Clan. He was a Special Grade Sorcerer. He had thousands of curses at his command.
If they want a fight, Geto thought, I'll give them one.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Under the astonished gazes of Shoko and Geto, the convoy of black escort vehicles... drove away.
They left the red supercar behind.
Only the boy and his non-sorcerer driver remained.
"What?" Geto blinked. "They left him alone?"
Mirai turned his head. He looked directly at Geto and smiled.
"Wait a little longer," Mirai said. "I hate it when mosquitoes buzz around me while I'm trying to talk."
"Mosquitoes?" Shoko frowned.
Geto’s eyes narrowed. He looked up at the rooftops.
...
On a nearby rooftop.
A masked Curse User stared down at the red car.
"One Billion Yen," he whispered, licking his lips.
He had planned to follow the convoy and look for an opening. But the main force had just left! The target was sitting there, exposed, with no guards!
It looked like a trap.
But for One Billion Yen? It was worth the gamble.
Whoosh!
The masked man leaped from the roof.
"Die!"
Several throwing knives, imbued with Cursed Energy, shot toward the car like bullets. They aimed straight for Mirai’s head and heart.
This attack was the signal.
From the alleys, the sewers, the crowds—dozens of Curse Users rushed out.
"The head is mine!"
"Get out of the way!"
Fireballs. Air cannons. Cursed bullets. A barrage of lethal techniques converged on the red convertible.
Geto kept his hands in his pockets. He watched with interest. How will the boy handle this?
Mirai didn't even lift a finger.
BANG!
The air around the car suddenly distorted.
Space warped.
From the void beside Mirai, a giant, withered wooden tail erupted!
It moved faster than sound.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The tail swept through the air like a whip. It shattered the knives. It crushed the fireballs.
And then, it pierced the attackers.
"Gah-!!"
The screams were cut short.
Ten Curse Users were impaled instantly on the wooden spikes of the tail. They looked like insects caught on a thorn bush.
Then, the tail retracted into the void, dragging the bodies with it.
Crunch. Crunch.
The sound of chewing echoed briefly, then vanished.
The street was silent.
The pedestrians looked up, confused. They had seen a blur, heard a noise... but now there was nothing. No bodies. No blood. Just the blue sky.
"Illusion?" someone muttered, shaking their head and walking on.
But Shoko and Geto stood frozen.
Shoko’s cigarette fell from her mouth.
She had seen it. The massive wooden tail. The overwhelming, ancient evil radiating from the boy’s shadow.
That Cursed Energy... Shoko thought, her hands trembling as she reached for her phone. It's endless. It feels like an ocean of malice.
We need Satoru. This thing might actually kill Suguru.
Geto stared at Mirai. His contempt was gone. Replaced by shock.
That wasn't a shikigami, Geto realized. That was something else entirely. And the boy controlled it effortlessly.
Mirai leaned back in his seat. The driver adjusted the recline for him.
"Don't worry," Mirai said, smiling at Geto through the window. "I have no intention of harming you."
"I'm very interested in what you said to Shoko earlier."
Geto stiffened. "You heard that?"
"About creating a world of only sorcerers," Mirai continued. "About cleaning up the mess of the monkeys."
"Those idiots at the College can't understand you. But I do."
Mirai looked Geto in the eye.
"You should try cooperating with the Zenin Clan."
Geto was surprised. "You... agree with me?"
"Why not?" Mirai shrugged. "Power should rule. Weakness should serve. It's the natural order."
Geto laughed softly. "Interesting."
"But," Geto said, his eyes sharpening. "If we want to realize that vision... what about the obstacle?"
"What about Gojo Satoru?"
"Even if you are strong... do you really think you can defeat him?"
Mirai nodded. "Not yet. I am still lacking in some areas. I need time to develop."
"That is why I need allies. Allies who understand the truth."
Mirai extended a hand toward Geto.
"If you are tired of running... if you are tired of eating rags to save monkeys..."
"Come to the Zenin Estate."
Geto looked at the boy. He looked at the empty space where the "mosquitoes" had been eaten.
After a long silence, Geto smiled. It was a genuine smile.
"Okay," Geto said. "If I find myself in need... I'll knock on your door."
Beside them, Shoko held her phone to her ear, listening to the dial tone.
Neither Mirai nor Geto paid her any attention. They had already begun to shape a new future.
Please sign in to leave a comment.